The Canadian government has tabled [introduced] a bill that will allow people convicted of historical same-sex offences to have their criminal records expunged.

Proposed legislation aims to correct a “historical injustice” now recognized as the criminalization of same-sex activity by consenting adults, effectively removing from the record convictions that would today be inconsistent with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The announcement is part of a historic apology that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will deliver in the House of Commons at 3 p.m. ET today. CBCNews.ca will carry it live, followed by a news conference with six cabinet ministers with affected files and the prime minister’s special adviser on LGBT issues.

He will formally apologize for actions the government took against thousands of workers in the Canadian military and public service in the 1950s to the 1990s, including thousands who were fired because of their sexuality as part of a “national security” purge.

While many websites are reporting the apology is aimed at the “LGBTQA2”, community to keep this in a historical perspective the majority of those who suffered under the purge were gay men and lesbians.

Will Kohler is a noted LGBT historian, journalist and owner of Back2Stonewall.com. A longtime gay activist, Will fought on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic with ACT-UP and continues fighting today for LGBT acceptance and full equality. Will’s work has been referenced in notable media venues as MSNBC and BBC News, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Hollywood Reporter, and Raw Story,